Article
Ecology
Vanessa Agbulu, Rashaduz Zaman, Guncha Ishangulyyeva, James F. Cahill, N. Erbilgin
Summary: This study showed that host defense metabolites impact the suitability of hosts to bark beetles by influencing their fungal symbionts, and different species of fungal symbionts respond differently to host monoterpene blends.
Article
Plant Sciences
Raimund Nagel, Almuth Hammerbacher, Grit Kunert, Michael A. Phillips, Jonathan Gershenzon, Axel Schmidt
Summary: This study found that mature Norway spruce trees can induce higher levels of terpenes and phenolics after being attacked by the spruce bark beetle and its associated fungus. However, the history of previous attacks did not influence the magnitude of these inductions.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Fei Lyu, Xiao-xia Hai, Zhi-gang Wang
Summary: The study found that the Asian longhorned beetle prefers Acer negundo as its host tree and is more attracted to forest green color. Plant odors alone did not significantly affect the behavior of the adults, but the combination of color and Acer negundo odor proved to be more attractive to them.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Horticulture
Bruno J. L. Pitton, Lorence R. Oki, Jared Sisneroz, Richard Y. Evans
Summary: This study aimed to reduce nitrate contamination of groundwater in intensive agricultural production areas by investigating nitrogen (N) inputs and outputs in container plant production. Results showed that most input N remained in the growing substrate or was taken up by plant shoots, while nitrous oxide-N gas lost from the substrate and bed soil, runoff, and soil infiltration also contributed to N losses. Future work should focus on reducing aqueous N lost from the growing substrate to minimize surface and groundwater contamination.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Aziz Ullah, Jennifer G. Klutsch, Nadir Erbilgin
Summary: Intraspecific variation in conifers has been studied in terms of defense against herbivores and pathogens, showing the influence of different compounds on insects and microbes. Research on biologically relevant defense compounds among tree populations is necessary. Variation in lodgepole pine monoterpenes was characterized in a progeny trial, revealing different effects on the mountain pine beetle and its fungal symbiont. The study highlights a co-evolutionary arms-race resulting in complementary defense metabolites among pine populations to enhance tree survival.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Sifat Munim Tanin, Dineshkumar Kandasamy, Paal Krokene
Summary: The European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus, although native to Eurasia, has been intercepted numerous times in North America and may potentially establish itself as an exotic pest. Research shows that I. typographus does not show preference for its historical host Norway spruce, and is attracted to fungi vectored by the North American spruce beetle. This suggests that the beetle could thrive in evolutionary naive spruce hosts in North America and form new associations with local fungi.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael J. Koontz, Andrew M. Latimer, Leif A. Mortenson, Christopher J. Fettig, Malcolm P. North
Summary: The study analyzed data and found an interaction between host size and climatic water deficit, resulting in higher mortality rates for large trees in dry, warm conditions, but not in cooler or wetter conditions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Daniel S. Ott, Christopher J. Fettig, A. Steven Munson, Justin B. Runyon, Darrell W. Ross
Summary: Comparing the physical and chemical characteristics of blue spruce and Engelmann spruce, it was found that blue spruce is a less suitable host for spruce beetles compared to Engelmann spruce due to differences in bark thickness, phloem thickness, resin flow, concentrations of terpenes, and colonization success.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jason D. Smith, Beth I. Johnson, Mark C. Mescher, Consuelo M. De Moraes
Summary: The study shows that the parasitic vine can finely distinguish the ratio of red to far-red wavelengths associated with the proximity and shape of potential host plants. In dual-choice experiments, seedlings were able to differentiate between low-R:FR fields of varying intensity and exhibited preferences for models of plants that were closer and differed in shape.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Fatima M. Mendez-Encina, Jorge Mendez-Gonzalez, Rocio Mendieta-Oviedo, Jose O. M. Lopez-Diaz, Juan A. Najera-Luna
Summary: This study generated ecological niche models and evaluated the climate suitability overlap between bark beetles and pine trees, finding that Dendroctonus mexicanus is expanding into climates not currently occupied by the studied pine species.
Article
Plant Sciences
Bashiru Adams, Abdullahi Ahmed Yusuf, Baldwyn Torto, Fathiya Mbarak Khamis
Summary: The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, is a highly destructive pest that causes substantial yield losses on cultivated tomato and other Solanaceae plants. Despite being natural enemies of T. absoluta, mirid predators also feed on host plants when the prey is absent. This study investigates how non-host plant odors influence the tritrophic interaction between tomato, T. absoluta, and mirid predators. The findings suggest that terpenes play a role in shaping this interaction.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Stefan Kusch, Justine Larrouy, Heba M. M. Ibrahim, Shantala Mounichetty, Noemie Gasset, Olivier Navaud, Malick Mbengue, Catherine Zanchetta, Celine Lopez-Roques, Cecile Donnadieu, Laurence Godiard, Sylvain Raffaele
Summary: This article discusses the importance of the host range of parasites in assessing disease epidemic dynamics, especially the evolutionary adaptation of pathogens to new hosts. It compares the global transcriptome reprogramming of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and S. trifoliorum on different hosts, as well as gene space conservation in the genome. The results show that there are differences in the regulation of resistance to Brassicaceae plants in S. trifoliorum, which may be related to its genetic adaptation in host range expansion.
Article
Ecology
Yanzhuo Liu, Gean Rodrigues Anastacio, Guncha Ishangulyyeva, Jean C. Rodriguez-Ramos, Nadir Erbilgin
Summary: Recent studies have focused on the interactions between mutualistic bark beetles and ophiostomatoid fungi, showing how volatile organic compounds emitted by mutualist fungi can influence bark beetle behaviors. This study investigated the effects of a beetle pheromone, host tree volatiles, and their combination on the growth and biomass of two mutualistic fungi. The results suggest that both Grosmannia clavigera and Ophiostoma montium can utilize bark beetle pheromones and host tree volatiles as nutrient sources, supporting further research on the role of volatile organic compounds in mediating mutualistic bark beetle-fungi interactions.
Article
Agronomy
Dilani K. Hettiarachchi, Michael Rostas, Jon J. Sullivan, Sarah Jackman, Chikako van Koten, Michael G. Cripps
Summary: This study investigated the phylogenetic pattern of host selection and acceptance by the biocontrol beetle Cassida rubiginosa. The results showed that there was a phylogenetic relationship in the olfactory recognition and preference of the beetle. Under choice conditions, phylogenetic distance was a strong predictor of feeding and oviposition preference. Therefore, the beetle is mainly restricted to feeding on Cirsium and Carduus species, with minimal impact on other Cardueae weeds.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Noboru Masui, Evgenios Agathokleous, Akira Tani, Hideyuki Matsuura, Takayoshi Koike
Summary: This study investigated how BVOCs influence plant-insect communication, specifically focusing on the interaction between Japanese white birch and a leaf beetle in O3-polluted urban forests. Results showed that the leaf-emitted BVOCs play a role in attracting the leaf beetle, but the composition of BVOC blends varied among Betulaceae host trees. The presence of O3-reactive species in the emissions from white birch could disrupt the communication with the leaf beetle, suggesting a complex interplay between BVOCs, host preferences, and O3 pollution in plant-insect interactions.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
J. Fodor, G. Koblos, A. Kakai, Z. Karpati, B. P. Molnar, T. Danko, G. Bozsik, C. Bognar, G. Szocs, A. Fonagy
INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Agronomy
Gabor Bozsik, Gbor Szocs
Article
Entomology
Gabor Bozsik, Bela Peter Molnar, Gabor Szocs
Summary: The cypress jewel beetle and the cypress bark beetle are invasive wood-boring pests that threaten tree nurseries and urban green areas. By studying the volatile compounds they can perceive from the American arborvitae, it was found that they likely use different key compounds for host recognition.
PHYSIOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Gabor Bozsik, Gabor Szocs, Jeno Kontschan
Summary: Invasive stink bug species, such as Halyomorpha halys, are serious agricultural pests worldwide. We developed a new collection method using heated traps to monitor and control these bugs during their pre-overwintering period. Our results showed that significantly more bugs were captured in the heated traps compared to the unheated ones, providing the first example of an effective collection method in natural conditions.
ACTA ZOOLOGICA ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARUM HUNGARICAE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gabor Bozsik, Bela Peter Molnar, Michael J. Domingue, Gabor Szocs
Summary: The cypress bark beetle, Phloeosinus aubei, prefers decaying host trees and researchers have identified specific volatile cues associated with stressed trees, which could aid in managing this invasive species.
Article
Zoology
Gabor Bozsik, Viktor Kerezsi, Jeno Kontschan
Summary: The study found that a heated box shelter attracted more brown marmorated stink bugs and southern green stink bugs compared to an unheated shelter, indicating that temperature has an impact on their choice of overwintering sites.
ACTA ZOOLOGICA BULGARICA
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Gabor Bozsik, Gabor Szocs, George Melika, Jeno Papp
ACTA ZOOLOGICA BULGARICA
(2019)
Article
Zoology
Jeno Kontschan, Istvan Tobias, Gabor Bozsik, Gabor Szocs
ACTA ZOOLOGICA ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARUM HUNGARICAE
(2015)